Winter Olympics fears prompt rail tunnel inquiry

The Italian government has agreed to delay the start of construction work on a high-speed rail link through the Alps to try to calm protests by environmentalists that are threatening to disrupt February's Winter Olympics.

Ministers are hoping the decision to order a study on the impact of the planned 33-mile rail tunnel in the valley of Susa will calm tensions that have been at boiling point in the area for weeks and have resulted in ugly scenes between police and demonstrators.

Environmentalists and residents have been angered by plans to build the controversial rail link on the site, which is near many of the venues of the winter games. Last Thursday police in riot gear fired teargas at tens of thousands of protesters who had used a public holiday to demonstrate against the project. More than 20 people were treated in hospital.

The Italian government's announcement of the inquiry - which came after emergency talks in Rome between ministers and protesters this weekend - is being seen as a way of quietening protests, but local people say it may not be enough to stop their demonstrations.

"The government has paved the way for dialogue but maintains the project is indispensable, and on that we don't agree," said Antonio Ferrentino, president of the Val de Susa mountain community. Plans for another protest on December 17 were being reviewed, he said.

The situation was further inflamed yesterday when authorities in Turin seized the proposed construction site. Local prosecutors ordered the seizure to allow them to carry out an investigation into whether crimes were committed there when demonstrators occupied the Susa site after fighting police last week.

Supporters of the train link, which will cost €15bn (£11bn) say the rail tunnels will reduce lorry traffic through the Alps and tie Italy to an important train network that stretches from Spain to eastern Europe.

Protesters claim the planned drilling will spoil the beauty of the valley and that the work will cause lasting environmental damage. They fear residents' and workers' health will be put at risk because the construction firm will have to dig through rock that contains uranium and asbestos.

The Italian government still insists work on the tunnel must go ahead, and the decision to delay the start of digging is being seen as only a temporary truce. Ministers have given no indication of who will carry out the environmental study or when it will be completed, leading to suspicions that the offer has been made merely to calm protests in the run-up to the Olympics. Members of the games' organising committee in Turin have already expressed alarm about demonstrations spilling over into Olympic celebrations.